Every week, I dive deep into the thousands of movies on Netflix, monitoring what’s trending on the streaming service and bringing you recommendations. I use metrics like popularity, ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and my deep Letterboxd archive. This week, lots of people are watching the survival thriller Apex, so let’s look at it and similar high-tension wilderness movies.
Apex
The always watchable Charlize Theron is the anchor of Apex, which has been topping the Netflix charts since its release last week. She plays rock climber Sasha, who lost her boyfriend Tommy during a storm the previous year and has traveled to Wandarra National Park in Australia to set out on a one-woman expedition. After encountering a mysterious stranger, she becomes prey in a cat-and-mouse chase through some spectacular scenery.
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Director: Baltasar Kormákur
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Cast: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana
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Genre: Thriller
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Rating: R
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IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
Cargo
Still hungry for more Australian outback survival? You’re in luck, as Cargo is a great watch from 2017 that might have slipped under your radar. Based on a viral short film, the movie features Martin Freeman and Susie Porter as a couple who have commandeered a houseboat to evade hordes of rapacious undead. When she gets bitten, they leave the safety of their home to try to get to a hospital, only for more terrible things to happen. Critics loved the vibe and the excellent performances.
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Directors: Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke
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Stars: Simone Landers, Martin Freeman, Marlee Jane McPherson-Dobbins
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Genre: Horror
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Rating: TV-MA
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IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
Alone
Jules Wilcox plays the lead in Alone, another “woman vs. stalker” wilderness film that has a 94% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While driving through rural Oregon (a creepy place, I can attest from personal experience), recently widowed Jessica runs into a man who abducts her to a remote cabin in the woods. When she escapes, she learns that the real challenge is ahead of her, as the cold Pacific Northwest woods have their own dangers.
Society of the Snow
One of the best survival movies of the century is this 2023 Spanish-language film based on the true story of a 1972 flight disaster. In Society of the Snow, a plane charted by an Uruguayan rugby team crashes deep in the heart of the Andes mountains. With no supplies in one of the most forbidding environments on earth, they must survive by making the ultimate sacrifice. Critics loved it, as did the living survivors of the incident.
Recommended by Our Editors
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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